In the good old days, it could take up to nine months for a blockbuster Hollywood movie release to finally screen in markets outside of the US. Once the Studios realised that cheap handycam dubs of their multi-million dollar films were being sold in Asian noodle markets hours after their release, they realised they had to simultaneously open in multiple markets.

When word trickled out that the revived new economy bad boy Napster had wrapped up a $52 million equity raising - it seemed pretty clear they were raising a war chest to take the fight to Apple's iTunes.

When it came to selling books online, Barnes & Noble found that the only prize for coming second, was coming last. Ironically, Amazon's new search division, A9 are now doing their best to prove this dictum wrong by chasing after Google and Yahoo.

Just when you thought the last 'Phantom' had been exorcised from the 'Opera', the shiny suits of entertainment world unveil yet another dastardly product extension plan to torment us all.

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but it seems in the media sector, everything else is losing its price tag.